Hacks for Handling a Spicy Hot Curry, Reduce Spice or Heat in a Curry

I recently went overboard with chillies while making red kidney beans (rajma). My 14 year old just couldn’t handle the chilli and looked helpless. It was a disaster at the lunch table and it happens to all of us at times. This is what made me think about putting up a post handling spicy hot curry if your vegetables, meat or chicken have got overly spicy.

There are several ways of reducing the heat in a dish that has got infused with too much chilli. Spice or heat in chilies is added by a crystalline alkaloid called capsaicin, which is found in chilis. Also, do remember that smaller the chili, more heat it will add. Bhut jolokia and bird eye chilis are classic examples of such chilis.

Here are several simply kitchen hacks to help you reduce the chili if you have gone a bit overboard. If you have one of yours, do write in and I’ll be happy to add it to this list.

Handling a Spicy Hot Curryसब्ज़ी या करी में तीखा कम करने की विधियाँ

1. Use everyday dairy products

Add a dairy product to tone down the effect of the spicy component. For example, in the runaway curry, you can add yogurt (curds), sour cream or double cream to bring down the spiciness. This applies to vegetables, stews, soups or any extra spiced up curry.

2. Add complementing ingredients

Adding potatoes is a good way of handling a spicy hot curry. Potatoes go well with most meats and vegetables. You can also use coconut milk to tone down the spice level. Don’t have any of these, add some more liquid.

3. Add a nutty paste

A paste made out of almonds and cashewnuts works very well. Make a paste, add it to the dish, bring the dish to boil and you are done.

4. Add sourness from acid

Sourness from acidic ingredients counters the chilis since acid cuts through the heat. While handling a spicy hot curry you can add sourness from a citrus source (lime or lemon), tamarind paste or even vinegar to get the desired result.

5. Add a bit of sweetness

Sugar not only helps in cutting down the spice, it also works as a taste enhancer. You can use sweetness from regular sugar, honey, ketchup, white chocolate or even crispy fried onions to reduce the spice levels in a hot dish.

6. Serve with unspiced accompaniments

Simple boiled rice or quinoa works best with over spiced curries and vegetables. You should also consume a healthy helping of plain yogurt, raita and unsalted vegetable salad on this side.